Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Things became relatively peaceful for a short while after Vahn had laid his head down to rest but, as it was like to do, the peace didn't last for very long. A few hours after she had gone to sleep, Vana woke up with a loud cry that seemed to be able to pass through the soundproofing of the room with ease, causing Vahn to bolt up from Tsubaki's lap in less time than it takes an electron to circumnavigate a nucleus. If not for Tsubaki laughing out from behind him, Vahn would have entered a high alert state but instead calm down enough to hear her say, "Don't worry, Vahn, she is probably just hungry. It isn't uncommon for newborns to eat every 2-3 hours between their naps~."The tension released from Vahn's body, visibly causing his shoulders to sag as he reached down and gingerly picked up Vana's body. Mona would likely be showing up within a few minutes so, for the time being, Vahn just rested her against his chest and gently traced circles along Vana's back. She was still hungry but, after feeling the calming energy entering her body, Vana stopped crying and made adorable baby sounds that tickled Vahn's ears. Tsubaki had walked over to his side, peering into the other cradles to see if Ina and Erika had been awoken by Vana's cries. Surprisingly, they didn't seem bothered by the fact, even though it was obvious that both of them had been alerted by the outburst.Since they were already awake, Tsubaki picked up Ina's body, showing an almost silly smile on her face as she cooed, "My goodness, you're such a cute little baby~." Unlike Hephaestus and Loki, who didn't produce milk during their pregnancies, Tsubaki suffered no such limitation. As if it was the natural thing to do, she pulled aside the loose fabric of her kimono and held Ina against her exposed teat, letting the little one feed off her milk with a contented smile on her face. Though Mona might be their hired wetnurse, it didn't mean the other mothers couldn't help her out and spend time with the other children. After all, it actually made them more capable of producing milk in the long term and helped to relieve any discomfort and sensitivity in their breasts.Vahn looked at Tsubaki, showing an affectionate smile that caused Tsubaki to poke her tongue out at him before she turned away and gently rocked Ina's body. Not long after that, Mona showed up, pausing for a brief moment when she saw Tsubaki before taking Vana from Vahn's hands. He gave her a polite nod and a small smile in response, deciding it was best he take a momentary leave to avoid making things awkward. When he left the room, Vahn felt a small amount of melancholy but continued forward, checking on Hephaestus and Loki before deciding to take a bath and head to bed. As much as he would like to just watch over the children all day, Vahn had other responsibilities and it would make the girls uneasy if he spent all his time cooped up within the maternity ward...At this point, it was already late in the day so Vahn was the only person using the large open onsen, a rare occurrence given the sheer number of people living in the Manor. He enjoyed the hot water against his skin, floating around aimlessly for a few minutes before deciding to head to bed. Tomorrow would be a busy day and Vahn wanted to rest his mind before it was time to take action. There was a fair chance that, even though he would be performing a show of force, his enemies could misunderstand things and use it as an excuse to try and attack him. The fact that he intended to give them time to evacuate the border fortresses before he destroyed them might cause them to believe he lacked the resolve to take lives. This wasn't true, as he would likely end up killing a fair number of people, but the Rakia Kingdom wasn't exactly known for their brilliant leadership and tactical planning...Unsurprisingly, Eina had been waiting in his room, already laying in the bed before she rose up to smile at him upon his entrance. The girls were a little worried he was going to push himself too hard so Eina had been 'elected' to comfort him for the evening. Vahn felt a little a guilty, as he hadn't really spent much time with the other girls since his return, but still climbed into the bed with his lovable wife and enjoyed the rest of the evening at her side. Though she wasn't that far along in her own pregnancy, Vahn felt comfortable hugging her gently from behind as he stroked her slightly protruding belly. She carried yet another one of his reasons for becoming stronger and facing his enemies head-on and Vahn didn't want to let her down...---Though it hadn't been publically circulated that Hephaestus and Loki had both given birth, there were still murmurs around the City since the defenses of the Manor had suddenly shot up. It was already known that Vahn had returned, especially with some of the rumors being spread through Hermes' network, so many informed individuals assumed he had actually returned because the event had already happened. Some of the gods and goddesses within the City were already planning to request audiences with Hephaestus, Loki, or Hestia in order to learn the truth of the matter while other forces, chiefly those bothered by the power and influence consolidated within the Manor, began putting their own plans in motion.With Freya proactively eliminating anyone that openly machinated against the Alliance, many of the dissidents had decided to lay low and only discuss their plans during secret meetings or with the use of relatively rare communication scrolls. There were several Familias, chiefly serving as personal harems to many gods, that felt threatened by the Alliance. After seeing the extents they Alliance had gone to in order to deal with the Elven Kingdom, those forces had all banded together to avoid being picked off individually. Though their combined strength could barely oppose a single S-Rank Familia, it didn't mean they weren't able to plot behind the scenes in order to weaken the influence of the Alliance...Freya had spooked him in the past but, after failing to take up residence in any of the 'respectable' countries surrounding Orario, Apollo had eventually returned to the City. He lived far less extravagantly than before, deciding to instead reside in one of the smaller districts near Daedalus Street. With his charisma and influence, he had slowly united many of the smaller dissident forces within the City, creating an Alliance of their own with the purpose of undermining the power of the Alliance. Their main target wasn't the Alliance itself, but the various merchants and nobles that held power within the City. By bribing the right people, the 'True God Alliance', as they had decided to call themselves, had been causing various problems for the Alliance itself.Though Freya and Loki had control over the northern and southern gates, there were plenty of ways to get illegal goods, chiefly Elven slaves and other contraband materials, into the City. As a result, Apollo's own Familia had increased from a small eleven official members to a startling eighty-three, mainly comprised of Half-Elves and a few pure-blooded Elves. Since the Elven Kingdom didn't 'export' those that had a lot of power, many were only around Level 1 or 2 but, with enough 'guidance', they could still become powerful assets under the influence of the Falna. Apollo, along with the various gods of the True God Alliance, had been sending his 'children' into the Dungeon to become stronger. They had a long term plan of producing a large number of 'elites' to contend against the forces of the Alliance, not directly, but by arson, assassination, and attacking trade routes for the weaker merchant Familias...Having made the decision to lay low on the surface, Apollo had instead cleared out many of the underground chambers near his residence, linking them together to make a small subterranean palace. Though the surface building looked like a downtrodden Manor, in desperate need of repair, the underground area was adorned with gold and ivory and Apollo himself was currently sitting on his throne, showing a cruel smile on his face as he tightly gripped the hair of the girl servicing him. They were very useful for his plans, but Apollo was also quite fond of how appealing Elven men and women could be, already expanding his own personal harem to include many of his favorite slaves.A large set of stone doors opened at the entrance of his chamber, making the arrival of a rather beautiful young man very apparent. He appeared to be around twenty years old, having silky black hair tied up into a ponytail. Though human, his looks could easily rival that of some of the most handsome Elves and he was adorned with black militaristic garb that still showed his lean and fit figure. Apollo smiled, not minding the intrusion as he pushed the Elven woman to the side, rising to his feet with arms spread as he said, "Ah, Hyakinthos, all the worldly treasures within my throne room pale before your beauty. Tell me, my child, what news do you bring me this evening? Or, did you perhaps wish to spend some time with me...it has been a while~."Without waiting for a response, Apollo had already neared Hyakinthos' side, caressing the beautiful young man's face before sealing his lips. There was a fervent and almost passionate look in Hyakinthos' eyes as he reciprocated his god's affections, entering into a long kiss before remember his purpose. With a fair amount of reluctance, he turned his head to the side, eliciting a small bout of laughter from Apollo as he mused, "How unfortunate...well, there is always a place for you at my side...after all, the nights can be oh so lonely~." Hyakinthos nodded his head, taking a moment to fix his clothing before saying, "I am always willing to serve, Apollo-sama..."Apollo smiled, happy at the words produced by his trusted Captain, turning to the 'groveling' Elven woman and saying, "See, wench, this is how you should behave. Hyakinthos isn't even my slave and still shows me the proper respect...tsk..." The Elven woman, named Elize, bowed her head low to hide the indignant look on her face as she said, "Yes, Apollo-sama...My apologies, Apollo-sama..." Shaking his head, clearly annoyed by her presence, Apollo waved his hand and said, "Begone...I've grown tired of you. Go to the training cell and reflect on your actions." Hearing Apollo's words, the Elven woman visible trembled, tears staining her face as she fought to stifle her cries. She knew there was no point in trying to convince him to show mercy and, as hesitant as she was to go to that nightmarish place again, she slowly moved her feet forward, compelled to obey by the slave collar around her neck...Once they were alone, Apollo sat back on his throne, making no effort to conceal his 'dignity' as he asked, "Well then, my faithful Hyakinthos, what brings you into my throne room this evening?" Bowing in a deferential and respectful manner, Hyakinthos said, "Apollo-sama, Cassandra had another 'vision', this time more clearly than the others..." Apollo frowned, tempted to dismiss the matter if not for the fact that one of Cassandra's 'visions' had actually born fruit. When they were looking for a place to settle outside of the City, she had seen a vision of half of their Familia being taken out by a rock slide. He had dismissed her at the time but, fortunately, Hyakinthos had been on the alert as a precaution, allowing them to narrowly evade the fate that would have befallen them.Giving Hyakinthos a gesture, urging him to continue, the beautiful man said, "In her most recent vision, the Apollo Familia had been completely wiped out by a man with onyx-black skin, covered in glowing golden tattoos..." Apollo inadvertently swallowed, gripping the arms of his throne as he asked, "Are there any more details to the vision, such as a time frame or what triggers the event? Who is the man from the vision...is it...?" Hyakinthos nodded with a solemn look on his face, saying, "Though it is obviously somewhat different than our reports, it is undoubtedly Vahn Mason within the vision. He must have developed some kind of new ability that greatly enhances his power...as for what triggered the event, Cassandra was unable to determine because everything had happened in what she described as an 'instant'..."Before Hyakinthos gave his report, Apollo had been planning to hold a meeting to try and get Loki and Hephaestus to show off their children during the next Denatus. He believed that the spawn between Vahn and a goddess was unnatural, going against the order of the world and a clear afront to all gods within Heaven. By 'exposing' them for the abominable monsters they were, Apollo hoped to turn the tides against the Alliance and allow them to publically shame Vahn Mason. Now, however, Apollo felt like this action would have been the catalyst leading to their destruction. Hyakinthos might not have said it directly, but it was easy to see from the boy's complexion that he had likely been forced back to Heaven as well...After taking several deep breaths to calm his nerves, Apollo stated, "Hear me, Hyakinthos...we will continue increasing the strength of our forces until we have a strong enough team to pick off the individual members of the Hestia Familia. Don't let anyone antagonize Vahn Mason directly and make sure all the slaves have a self-immolation talisman carved into their bodies. I don't want any of their corpses giving away our presence until we're prepared to strike..." Though he looked down on Vahn, Apollo wasn't foolish enough to try and fight against him directly, at least for the time being. Until they had more information about that 'onyx black form', he wouldn't send his forces against the Hestia Familia, instead, targetting the weaker Familias within the Alliance...Hyakinthos bowed low, holding his position for several seconds as he said, "Yes, Apollo-sama. I will make your will known and carry it out without question..." After he was finished speaking, Hyakinthos raised his head and planned to immediately execute his new orders. However, he didn't make it too far before Apollo called out, "Halt, Hyakinthos...I require your services. This news, as shameful as it may be, has affected my heart. Please, help put it at ease..." Apollo gave Hyakthinos an appraising look, earning a small blush from his Captain's face as the latter said, "Yes, Apollo-sama!" in a slightly excited voice. Without any hesitation at all, Hyakinthos approached the throne where Apollo was sitting, loosening the collar of his military-style coat and kneeling down...---Thousands of kilometers away from Orario, in a massive forest beneath the canopy of a giant tree, more than ten kilometers tall, there was several women gathered around a reflecting pool. Each of them had an almost ethereal beauty to them, having flawless faces, unblemished complexions, eyes deeper than the ocean, and a pair of long pointed ears adorning their heads. Though their beauty was enough to topple kingdoms, their disposition seemed entirely removed from the rest of the world, almost as if they were unaffected by anything else happening outside of the Sanctum they currently stood in.Amongst them, there were three unique beauties, all adorned in ceremonial robes and holding ornate wooden staves that contained so much power they caused the mana around them to fluctuate and distort. These three women, with the exception of the one at the very center, were the elders of the High Priestess faction. As for the girl in the center, who was somewhat short for a High Elf, standing only 158cm tall, she was the current High Priestess, having been groomed by the woman to her right, the former High Priestess, Irisalia Els Lainu. Though never holding the title of High Priestess herself, the woman on the left, named Deina Els Lainu, was the half-sister to Irisalia and one of the most powerful Mages in the previous generation.With the exception of the current High Priestess, the youngest woman present, each High Elves, was nearly 150 years old. Though they weren't all as prodigious as Riveria, their average strength was also Level 6, with Irisalia and Deina both currently standing at the peak of Level 7. As for their rather diminutive High Priestess, she was currently only Level 5 but, considering that she was only 38 years old, this was rather amazing for a High Elf that had never left the forest. The reason for her becoming the High Priestess so early, even though Irisalia was only 371 years old, was because the young High Elf possessed various unique abilities, including one related to Divination.Having an almost unmatched intelligence, combined with the power of foresight, her guidance allowed the High Priestess Faction to avoid many potential dangers as she had even predicted the current inner turmoil of the Kingdom itself. Other than Riveria, she was the 'hope' for the future of the Elven Kingdom, being kept as a closely guarded secret from the rest of the world, especially the Nobles and members of the Sage Council. In fact, other than Irisalia and Deina, none of the other Priestesses even knew the girl's name, simply referring to her as Venerable High Priestess within the Inner Sanctum. Irisialia and Deina did much the same but, when they were counseling the girl in private, they still referred to her by her true name, Sylfia Dal Alfan, direct descendant in the line of Wishe...The group, consisting of thirteen Priestesses, two Elders, and the High Priestess herself, had been observing the changes within the reflecting pool they had gathered around. Sylfia's ability allowed her to reflect her vision onto the surface of the water so it wasn't uncommon for them to gather like this. Typically, the 'clarity' of the vision determined how accurate things were and allowed them to understand how difficult it would be to change 'troublesome' situations in their favor. Unfortunately, there were some things that weren't so easily changed, such as in the case where the vision was almost perfectly clear...Currently, the entire chamber had become absolutely silent as Sylfia stared down at the looping projection with her pupils dilated and a pale complexion on her face. Within the image of the reflecting pool, everyone could see what looked like a 'demon', covered in onyx-black skin with glowing white hair and strange runes covering its body. Chaotic energy danced around the figure, shrouded in darkness and lightning elemental energy as the forest burned behind it. The most terrifying thing was the demon's eyes, reflecting a mystical light that seemed as if could peer through all things, currently locked on Syflia with its penetrating gaze. As for why the room had become silent, it was due to the fact that the image had a crystal clear quality, almost as if it was part of reality itself...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vana is very energetic (UwU)','The 'Return' of Apollo...','RIP Sylfia-chan...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Over the course of the next few days, Vahn had the opportunity to experience that raising children wasn't exactly easy. Because of the accelerated growth rates of the Vanir, they needed to eat every two hours, typically like clockwork. Vana ate a fair amount more than both Ina and Erika, but she also showed the highest amount of energy compared to the other two. Also, since they were constantly eating, this meant the girls were also constantly producing small amounts of waste to accompany their meal plan. Vahn had been asked to help out, so as to familiarize himself with the process, meaning he had changed nearly thirty diapers over the course of a few short days.This didn't mean Vahn wasn't happy, however, as every moment he spent with his daughters felt like a true blessing. Just being in the same room as them made him feel like his body had endless energy and he often had to be 'forced' away by the teasing of Loki, Hephaestus, Juno, Epona, and Tsubaki. Mona never said too much but showed a tired smile on her face most of the time since she had constantly been tending to the girls both day and night. It was fortunate that Juno and Epona actually produced milk, allowing them to relieve her so she could actually get adequate sleep, while the other expectant mothers also helped out a bit.When he wasn't spending time with his newborn daughters, Vahn had been guiding all the younger girls in their magical training and planning his next course of action with Minerva and Fortuna. They had counseled him about the best course of action to take in regards to his interactions with the Rakia and Elven Kingdoms. As it stood, almost anything he did against the Rakia Kingdom would be used as a justification for them to rally forces and try a more meaningful attack. This was an opportunity to get them to overextend but relied on Vahn being willing to fight against an army and potentially claim many lives. The problem with this was the fact that many of the people fighting on the frontlines were being forced into service, making them relatively innocent in the grand scheme of things...Under the guidance of the two goddesses, Vahn eventually settled on a median between two extremes, allowing the Rakia Kingdom to move their forces the vast distance between the Kingdom and the City while eliminating their supply lines and damaging the terrain. If they didn't have enough resources to continue the campaign, they would inevitably be forced to retreat under the constant harassment of various smaller mercenary troupes and the scouts from the Elven Forest. There was a chance they could detour to the south, trying to sweep through the Plains area where the food was produced, but this would guarantee their Kingdom was wiped off the map. It had been hundreds of years since anyone even tried to cause harm to the food production region of the Continent, as doing so would earn you the ire of every single country while simultaneously be cutting off your own potential resources. As foolish as Ares might be, he knew better than to draw the attention of all the forces on the Continent simultaneously...As for the Elven Kingdom, they were much trickier to deal with than the Rakia Kingdom since most of their issues were internal. Vahn didn't have the power and authority to 'force' change within the Kingdom without acting like a tyrant, meaning the only plausible course of action was to continue pressuring them until the Elven Kingdom either attacked or gave up. There was a very high chance they would tear themselves apart from the inside, but the ones most damaged by this course of action would be the so-called Nobles. The Sage Council had been consolidating their forces around the western front while keeping their Elites in reserve. As for those that had already aligned with the High Priestess faction, which included the majority of the most powerful High Elves and influential Elven families, they were just tiding over until things came to a head.With Riveria as a mediator, they had reached out to the High Priestess Faction, offering aid and the creation of an emergency teleportation 'formation' to allow them to escape during an emergency. Strangely, though they had been fairly amicable in the past, the High Priestess Faction seemed intent to continue forward without their assistance. Riveria had been confused and frustrated when she learned how 'obstinant' the faction had suddenly become, complaining to Vahn almost every time he had gone to check up on her. Before this sudden change, Riveria had a very good relationship with many of the senior members of the High Priestess Faction, so it was upsetting for her to suddenly get the cold shoulder.Unable to do much about the situation in the Elven Kingdom, other than help refugees that were trying to flee the internal struggles, Vahn had no choice but to wait and see how things developed. He decided that, even if the High Priestess Faction didn't directly ask for help, he would still go to their aid if news of an emergency situation reached them from the borders of the Western Forests. With Fafnir, he could close the distance between Orario and the Elven Kingdom in less than an hour, though Terra would potentially be able to get him there in an instant...Terra, after returning from the Dungeon, had spent the majority of her time expanding her dominion to encompass the entirety of the Manor. She had also modified the structure of her 'formation', enhancing several parts of it with wards that she had learned through studying with Eva. Everything above ground had now become an 'inviolable' space for her since one of the first things she had implemented was a massive assortment of wards that enhanced the defensive barrier around the Manor. Now, unless someone was near Level 7, or had a special Innate that allowed them to penetrate such barriers, there was almost no chance of the Manor suffering a direct attack. Even the underground, especially the underground, had been completely barred off for anyone that Terra herself didn't allow free passage...One of the bigger changes with Terra was the fact that she was very open about the changes in their relationship while simultaneously being very secretive about what she had learned from Eva. Other than Vahn, Fenrir, and Fafnir, Terra kept her knowledge a secret and only gave advice when some of the girls came to her in order to ask questions. The rest of her time was spent resting on her perch, sunbathing and absorbing large amounts of energy, completely in the buff. She kept the egg at her side, nestled against the base of her perch as it reflected the sunlight off its emerald green scales. Vahn had offered to awaken it, as he was the only one with the key to breaking through Eva's spell, but Terra refused on the grounds that he was already distracted with other things.Unlike the Vanir, there wouldn't be any accelerated growth for his child with Terra, meaning it could actually take dozens, if not hundreds, of years for it to reach maturity. Though Terra and Fafnir had been something of an exception, this was only because their bodies had been adapting to the changes brought about by their 'evolution'. Terra herself hadn't changed at all, even after nearly 150 years, while Fafnir's size was still growing, even though it had functionally eternal life. Thus, Terra had decided to wait until she had finished creating a sub-space orb with enough of a time dilation effect to teach and raise their child to the point it could, at the very least, defend itself.Though her affinity with Space wasn't nearly as good as Eva's, or even Vahn's, Terra had a lot of knowledge in regards to the subjects and had been entrusted with the secret of imbuing laws into a medium to create a sub-space. To change the laws and make them apply to a physical body was very taxing, requiring a large amount of magical power and incredibly rare resources provided by the system shop, but Terra could still pull it off. Her restriction was modifying the passage of time to equate to seven days for every one day that passed, but it was still adequate. Fortunately, she could make use of Vahn's 'peculiarities' to create Spirit-Time Orbs, which was the same as Eva's original orb.Spirit-Time Orbs required the Mage to create a faux-persona, referred to as a memory fragment, that regulated the laws within the space with a much greater degree of influence compared to a Sub-Space Orb. Since the latter applied to the physical body, there were much greater restrictions on the user compared to the rather lenient restrictions in a Spirit-Time Orb. Terra could influence the time dilation to reach ten hours for every minute that passed, allowing the user to stay inside for up to 100 hours every day. With Vahn being able to actually bring physical objects into a Spirit-Time Orb, he could 'break' many of the limitations that applied to them, something Terra found fascinating and intended to take full advantage of...After a fair amount of discussion, as Vahn found himself lacking the time he wanted to spend with all the girls, it was decided that they would create several different kinds of orbs, as Vahn was learning from Terra how to actually form them. Terra would create two primary orbs, one Sub-Space, and one Spirit-Time, with the goal of allowing the girls the opportunity to train their physical bodies while she would make personal use of the Spirit-Time orb for her own research and raising her child. As for Vahn, he would be creating several different types of Spirit-Time orbs for a variety of purposes, many geared towards teaching specific skills.There would also be three 'reward' orbs, which had been put forth as a recommendation by Loki and 'approved' by the girls in the Manor. These orbs would have three different 'programs', with varying intensities that would allow the girls to exchange their accumulated points for private recreational time with Vahn's memory fragment. It wouldn't affect their physical bodies, but their spirit would actually be tempered through the interactions, even if they ultimately decided to do something a bit risque with the Tier 3 memory fragment. Since Vahn could also 'download' the memories from the orbs, he would be able to know what was going on inside, though it was suggested that he didn't pry into things unless someone was acting strangely...So that nobody got in the habit of trying to overuse the orbs, it was decided that they would have access restrictions of one-week placed on them, meaning they could only be used up to four times a month at most. Vahn would also be spending a fair amount of time accompanying the girls' physical bodies within the Sub-Space Orb, as he would also be conducting his own training and research. After all, if he had an extra 100 hours each day, not only for his own research but to spend with the girls, that was a boon he had no intention of missing out on.As for the what kind of restrictions would be placed on the orb's use, Loki had actually concluded that only 25% of the time in the orb, essentially around one day, should be used for 'work'. If anything, Vahn already spent too much time on his projects and tending to the various obligations he had fallen into, thus making the orb the perfect solution to give him time to relax. If he entered with all the girls, he wouldn't have the same issue as with Eva's orb since he would always be able to seek out other people if he was feeling lonely. This also allowed them to monitor him without becoming overly reliant on using the Spirit-Time Orbs for their interactions with Vahn...Unable to refute Loki's claims, though there would certainly be 'exceptions' made depending on what was happening outside the orb, Vahn accepted the terms. It would take several weeks to create a single orb, so they had plenty of time to think about what changes to make later on. However, just knowing they would have a place where they could essentially spend three extra days with Vah, almost everyone in the Manor was very excited. The only exceptions, though they didn't really mind it, were the goddesses. Because of how the orbs functioned, they wouldn't actually be able to enter the orbs since their actual bodies and souls were still in Heaven. If they could detach their spirit to enter the Spirit-Time Orb, it was very likely their body would dissipate and they would be returned to Heaven. As for the Sub-Space Orb, it didn't have nearly as much risk but none of them were willing to find out the truth of the matter since they had no desire to be barred from the mortal world for a few decades.To compensate for the goddesses inability to enter the orbs, most of the time Vahn spent in reality, especially during the evenings, would be spent with them. This also extended to all the pregnant women as well, as one of the first things that had been decided during the discussion was to never use the orbs to 'accelerate' a pregnancy. Though the variable pregnancies of goddesses could be explained away as a result of the peculiarities of the Vanir and the influence of Divinity, it would become very obvious something was going on if mortals began having children much faster than normal. The orbs, though some may be used for special classes in the School, would become one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Alliance.The orbs were far too easily exploitable so it wasn't a good idea to ever circulate them amongst mortals. One of the examples Loki had given, which caused a shudder to pass through almost the entire room, was slavers using the orbs to 'breed' stock. Another one had been people using orbs with more lenient restrictions, as it was possible to make a sub-space that functioned at a 1:1 ratio without any limitations, to store people they had kidnapped. If you could keep thousands of people within the space of a single drawer, there were no ends to the means by which it could be misused.Fortunately, there was a restriction that Sub-Space Orbs required being 'anchored' to the world itself, often making use of leylines and larger formations to supplement their energy requirements. Moving an orb would destabilize the space, destroying any structures that had been built inside while forcibly ejecting any people, assuming that function had been 'programmed' into it. If it hadn't been, anyone inside would cease to exist when the space collapsed, making it an easy way to hide evidence of wrongdoing...When they were talking about the restrictions, Vahn couldn't help but think about the Heavenly City from the Divination, wondering if it was possible to 'anchor' an orb to such a colossal structure. After all, planets were often just objects floating through space, meaning the only 'real' restriction was the amount of energy feeding into, and stabilizing, the orbs. He intended to try and create modified orbs in the future but, for the time being, decided to agree to all the rules and restrictions that had been put forth by the collective group. They would talk about it again when the rest of the girls returned from the Expedition, as it was unfair to make decisions without their input, but they weren't likely to oppose the decisions that were made...The only real points of contention had come from the presence of Lili, Tina, and Shizune, as Hestia had proposed making the Sub-Space Orbs off-limits to anyone that had yet to reach adulthood. Mortals already had relatively short lives and she didn't think it was healthy for 'children' to essentially shorten their lifespans by potentially spending 80% of their life within a Sub-Space Orb. After all, just using it for a year would make Tina's age chronologically closer to seventeen years old. As an extreme case, this would mean the Vanir could actually reach physical maturity in less than a year...Ultimately, it was decided that Lili would be able to make free use of the orb, as she was almost an adult and had already lived a very trying life, while restrictions would be placed on Tina and Shizune. The later would have far more freedom in the orbs use, as she was already mentally an adult, while Tina would only be allowed to access the orb once a week, at least for the time being. To pacify her, Vahn promised he would spend a lot of his time in the 'real' world playing with and teaching her, at least when he wasn't looking after his own daughters and spending time with the various expectant mothers. He also promised that, by the time the orbs were functional, he would give her a flame seed so she could potentially keep up with Shizune's accelerated growth by increasing her parameters much faster than the small Kitsune.Shizune had initially been happy to have relatively free access to the orb but, after hearing all the concessions Vahn made for Tina, she began to feel like she had missed out on a golden opportunity. Vahn would obviously be spending the majority of his time with the other girls in the orb so, unless she managed to convince Tina to let her 'play' with them, she wouldn't have that much time with him herself. Fortunately, while Tina was denied access to them, Shizune had been given leniency to use the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Spirit-Time Orbs. This meant, as long as she saved up enough points, she would be able to get some 'benefits' from the memory fragments of Vahn. Though she wouldn't be able to do anything 'adult', for the time being, it was better than nothing...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Endless Poop : Infinite Diapers','Haaaaaaax','Tina, lucky or unlucky? Only time will tell (OwO)~!)(A/N: The previous chapter was technically the end of Volume 14, so the next 2-3 chapters will be intermission chapters explaining and wrapping up some loose ends. Pactio chapter should be next and, as I felt it would be kind of funny, I decided to do a 'perspective' chapter of some of the side characters on Friday. There were actually a number of people that had different reactions to Vahn's aura when he thought about protecting his daughter, some which would be interesting to read. Saturday will be the start of Volume 15 and, by the start of the new week, I'll be back to around 100-120k words per week (UwU)~!)

Vahn spent a fair amount of time watching over Loki as she slept before walking next door to check up on Hephaestus. As Juno had explained, their bodies were quickly recovering and Vahn could see an incredible amount of energy circulating through their mana circuits, restoring them to a pristine condition. Strange as it may seem, there was a good chance both goddesses would return to their natural appearance seemingly overnight. Since Vahn was someone that could even change the number of eyes growing on his head and the number of limbs protruding from his torso, he wasn't that surprised, however. After all, they were goddesses and he was better suited to simply watching over them instead of trying to understand and explain the peculiarities of their existences.Since it didn't look like either of them would be waking up any time soon, Vahn migrated to the maternity ward where Juno, Epona, and Mona were all gathered. He had made sure his daughters were in their beds before entering since it seemed almost 'fated' that he walked in on Mona while she was breastfeeding. Vahn knew she had a trauma related to exposing her breasts to men and, since she had made the decision to separate from the Manor in the future, he wanted to respect her decision. The fact that she was the wetnurse for his children gave Vahn a positive opinion of her and he believed that Ina, Vana, and Erika would all have a bit of an attachment to her in the future.All three girls turned to him when he entered, earning Vahn small smiles from Epona and Mona while Juno stepped forward with a vibrant and guiding look on her face. She reached out, patting Vahn on the shoulder as she said, "Today couldn't have been easy for you, boy. You performed exceptionally well in a circumstance most people can't even imagine finding themselves in. Well done, Vahn, I really mean it..." Under the heavy compliments of Juno, Vahn felt a little anxious but still managed a gratified smile on his face as he politely said, "Thank you, Juno. Your guidance was a great help..."Juno waved her hand dismissively before gently pulling him towards the three cradles that had been set up side-by-side. She brought him next to Vana, touching the side of the cradle as she said, "All of your children are so adorable...honestly, I'm a little envious. Though I love my kids, they usually look like potatoes whenever they first come out..." If not for the fact that he was leaning over to look at Vana's face, Vahn felt like he would have fallen over when he heard Juno's words. Truthfully, other than the memory of his own newborn body, Vahn didn't really know what newborns were supposed to look like. With Juno's words, however, he did recall that his appearance had been somewhat 'lumpy' compared to the three beautiful angels laying in the cradles...Seeing Vahn's reaction, Juno laughed before pulling him over to Ina's cradle, seemingly alerting her since one of her eyes opened. Ina seemed to have very high perception and, the moment she smiled toward him, Vahn felt like his heart was going to twist and jump out of his chest. Juno giggled, letting go of his arm as she reached into the cradle and lifted Ina's body, rocking her for a short moment before passing her over to Vahn. It wasn't the first time he had held her, but Vahn felt 'awed' when Juno handed Ina to him. Before he even realized it, there were tears beginning to stream from his eyes as he mumbled, "My Ina...you..." Unable to actually find the words to express how he was feeling, Vahn just kissed his daughter's head, earning a small giggling sound from the girl as her second eye opened.For the first time, Ina showed that she actually had heterochromatic eyes, one being a pale blue while the other was light gold. There was a small band around her pupil, resonating with a subtle magical light that gave Vahn the impression she could see through anything. He was only momentarily surprised, however, and put the matter to the back of his mind for the time being as he just enjoyed the time he had with his daughter. They would grow up much faster than normal children so Vahn wanted to cherish the moments like this, when there was nothing else in the world that mattered more than the child in his arms...Juno may have been the closest, but all three girls were watching Vahn interact with Ina, showing kind smiles on their faces at seeing the bond between the father-daughter pair. It was obvious to anyone looking that Ina seemed especially attached to Vahn, even going so far as to reach out and try to touch his face with her small hands. She giggled like a pristine bell and the smile on her face seemed to light up the room, creating an illusion as if all the colors of the world were enriched by her presence. Mona was already very fond of her as, compared to Vana and Erika, Ina was very tame during feeding times and didn't even require burping. Vana made her heart feel very warm, but her voracious appetite was a little disconcerting while Erika simply made Mona feel nervous...Though he would have liked to carry Ina around forever, Vahn knew she needed to rest properly, especially since her growth would be even faster than a normal infant. However, when he tried to lay her in the cradle, Ina looked at him like he had wronged her, showing small glistening tears in the corner of her eyes. Vahn's mind blanked, earning a laugh from Juno as she said, "Just hold her for a while until she falls asleep. The other two are already napping and you can just watch over them for the moment..." Nodding his head, Vahn carried Ina in his embrace, gently rocking her under Juno's guidance as she happily began to doze off.While cradling Ina, Vahn stood over Erika's crib, noticing that her presence was distinctly different from his other daughters. It was likely a difference in their pseudo-divinities, or perhaps an incongruity caused by Erika's unique affinities, but Vahn didn't really care. He now understood why Loki, Riveria, and Juno hadn't taken him seriously when he talked about trying to raise his children without overly pampering them. Unless it was something that endangered themselves or others, Vahn couldn't see how he would ever be able to deny these three beautiful girls anything the world has to offer. He would need to make sure they didn't become spoiled, but Vahn knew he would pamper them a great deal in the future...Though she didn't open her eyes, Erika slightly turned her head toward him, causing Vahn's [Eyes of Truth] to activate on instinct. He noticed she was actually awake but was either incapable of opening her eyes, or simply didn't need to. With his eyes active, Vahn could see Erika's energy feeding into her ocular nerves as the mana from her circuits pooled around her eyes. She seemed to be looking directly at him, causing Vahn to smile as he lightly whispered, "My little Erika..." It looked like she tried to tilt her head slightly but, finding she was unable to move, lifted up her tiny hands instead. Juno, realizing Erika was awake, picked her up before passing her over to Vahn, allowing him to carry both girls, one bundle of beauty in each arm.Just like when he first held Ina, Vahn felt a little overwhelmed when Erika was passed over to him. Holding them like this made Vahn realize what it meant to be a father, supporting his children and bringing them as much comfort as he could spare. Though he was already very strong, Vahn wanted to become even stronger in the future, ensuring they never had to experience any suffering brought upon them by his enemies. Knowing that there were people in the world that would actually move to try and rob the happiness of such beautiful existences made Vahn's mind turn cold while a flood of heat emerged from an area around his heart before both energies intermixed with each other...Juno reached her hand out, shakily placing it on his shoulder as she mumbled, "Vahn...calm down..." Broken from his reverie by Juno's hesitant words, Vahn looked around to see that both she and Epona had very pale faces. As for Mona, she had fortunately been sitting down and managed to support herself with the arm of the sofa. Vahn hadn't realized it but, the moment he began thinking about the possibility of someone 'stealing' his children, he began to emit an incredibly overbearing aura. It didn't seem like his daughters were aware of it, however, causing Vahn to be somewhat confused as he apologetically inclined his head to Juno, Epona, and Mona, saying, "Sorry...I just imagined someone taking my daughters away from me...and..."Shaking her head, Juno showed a very warm smile and said, "They are lucky to have a caring father like you, Vahn. However, you need to always act as if you are an 'unshakable' force when you are with them. The more consistent and reliable your behavior is, the more grounded and functional your children will be in the future. Now that you are a father, you need to act as such, always taking into consideration how your children will interpret your actions...after all, they will look towards you for guidance in their own lives..." As a goddess who had seen thousands of children born and raised within the mortal world, Juno had a great understanding of what it took to be a good parent. She could tell that, though Vahn would struggle a bit later on, he would make a good father to the Vanir for the interim...Vahn smiled toward Juno but still gave a slight bow to Epona and Mona, earning a dismissive gesture from the former while Mona seemed to have become a little tense. Even so, she managed a smile on her face and Vahn could see her aura slowly stabilizing. She was just a little spooked after feeling his aura in close proximity, fortunately, spared from any direct pressure since Vahn instinctually considered her an ally. Had she been an actual enemy, someone as weak as Mona likely would have suffered a mental collapse instead of experiencing a bout of lightheadedness...Taking note of Mona's aura, Vahn blinked in confusion as his senses danced around within his domain, sensing the presence of everyone around him and their current 'feelings'. However, there were five presences within his domain whose aura he couldn't sense, drawing Vahn's attention to the two girls in his arm and Vana, still sleeping in her crib. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but Vahn was aware that he couldn't actually sense the aura of his daughters and had only been detecting the flow of their energy instead. It was probably for the best that he couldn't 'read' his children, but Vahn still felt a little strange as he opened up his system interface and checked through the Affection listings...----------------------------------------------------------------------[Ina Mason][Affection:91(Favorite Person)][Intrigue:53(Curious)][Erika Mason][Affection:54(Familial Bond)][Intrigue:88(Very Curious)][Vana Mason][Affection:58(Neutral)][Intrigue:51(Confused)]----------------------------------------------------------------------When he read through their values, Vahn felt strangely guilty but still smiled when he saw that Ina already treated him as her 'favorite person'. As expected, Erika was the type that was intrigued by her surroundings, likely credited to her seemingly advanced intelligence. As for Vana, it made Vahn a little sad that she was 'neutral' towards him, but the 'confused' descriptive for her Intrigue made him feel a little better. Though she was still very intelligent, she acted the most like an actual newborn, including how she had cried out very loudly and engorged herself during meals. Her confusion about the world made a lot of sense so Vahn knew he could improve her opinion about him with time...After a little more than an hour, Ina and Erika had both fallen back asleep, the later still showing fluctuations in her internal energy, especially around her brain. Juno and Epona helped him lay the girls back in their cribs while Vahn sat down on one of the available sofas, feeling surprisingly drained. His stamina may be infinite, but his mental energy wasn't quite at that level just yet. If not for the support of his [Will of the Emperor], Vahn imagined he would have collapsed the moment Vana crowned earlier. The number of nerves he had suppressed to keep his focus had taxed his mind a great deal and, now that all of his daughters were sleeping, Vahn felt very tired.Epona and Mona moved to the connecting room, where the latter would be staying while the girls were still reliant on her milk, while Juno moved to the same sofa as Vahn. Though she had the appearance of a young girl, appearing closer in size to someone like Ais than a mature woman, Juno still patted her thighs and said, "Sleep." Vahn, however, shook his head and politely declined her offer since he didn't really have that kind of bond with the diminutive goddess. This earned him a frown from her, causing Juno to furrow her brows and scrunch up her nose as she snorted. Hopping off the sofa, she patted off her light dress and said, "Fine. I'll go get one of the other girls to come watch over you then. I imagine you'll be staying here, even if people advise you to go get some food and rest properly...?"Vahn nodded, noting that he actually hadn't even though about leaving the maternity ward any time soon. Unless there was an emergency, or Hephaestus and Loki woke up, he intended to stay and watch over his daughters. Even with the protection of their guardians, Vahn felt compelled to protect them himself, unable to tolerate the idea of letting anything happen to them. As brief as it had been, Vahn was affected by the thought of his enemies conspiring to take one of his children away, much like he had been robbed from his mother in the past. Though he had accepted everything that happened as part of life, Vahn wouldn't tolerate allowing such a thing to happen to his own progeny...no matter what it took.Juno gave a wry smile but didn't seem to blame Vahn for his behavior as she muttered, "Doting fathers can be so troublesome..." She then exited the room, making a beeline towards where most of the girls had been gathered. Everyone was curious about how things had gone so they were all sitting in the dining room with Lili and Naaza. Preasia had originally been there but, as a result of her 'training', went off to bed shortly thereafter. She would likely be dreaming about the procedure and had decided to retire early so as to avoid having other people invade her dreams, chiefly Fenrir...A few minutes after Juno had left, Tsubaki showed up within the maternity ward, sending Vahn a soft and loving expression before curiously inspecting the contents of each crib. The moment she laid eyes on the girls, Tsubaki had an almost silly smile on her face and fought against the desire to pick up and cuddle each girl. Vahn, leaning against the arm of the sofa, bit his lip to prevent his own chuckles from leaking out as Tsubaki finished her 'inspection' and walked over to him. Much like Juno, she patted her thighs with her left hand but, unlike the small goddess, pulled Vahn's head down with her right. She didn't really leave any room for discussion and just 'forced' him to relax a bit while stroking his thick brown hair with her hands.While playing with a lock of Vahn's hair, Tsubaki quietly whispered, "I heard you worked very hard today, Vahn...good job. All of your daughters are like little gemstones that had been cut by a master artisan...like little bundles of perfection~." Vahn lazily nodded his head, enjoying Tsubaki's caress with half-lidded eyes as he looked towards the cribs where Vana, Ina, and Erika were sleeping. Even now, he couldn't bring himself to look away from them and hoped they were all having pleasant dreams while they were sleeping.Tsubaki didn't really mind Vahn's behavior, instead, finding it slightly amusing since it was obvious he had already fallen hard for his role as a father. Her only hope was that he showed a similar level of concern for their daughter when she was born. Since the Vanir would be the equivalent of eight-to-ten months old by then, Vahn would probably have to watch over them closely while his relaxation time would probably be used to watch over his 'normal' children.Fortunately, things would eventually turn in favor of his other children in the future since he would have to invest a lot more time and energy over a longer period just taking care of them. The Vanir would mature very quickly, meaning they required a lot of care early on but would be self-sufficient in as little as two-to-three years. This left plenty of time for Vahn to spend with his other children, enabling their physical and emotional growth to progress at a comparably 'casual' pace...Tsubaki knew that, given Vahn's personality, he would love and care for all of his children to the best of his ability, just like he tried to look after all the women he was involved with. His only limitation was the fact that he was a single person, which is the main reason all the girls had already banded together to create a stronger sense of unity within the Manor. They knew he would be busy ensuring they were protected from harm, dealing with issues both within the City and the countries beyond its borders. Thus, it fell to the girls within the Manor to look after the children and ensure they were receiving a proper education and advancing on a more 'correct' path.Like Vahn, they didn't intend to force the children into anything directly, leaving it to them to make decisions about their own lives as they matured towards adulthood. However, this didn't mean they wouldn't 'encourage' them towards specific disciplines. As in most families, the stronger the bond was between parent and child, the more likely the child was to take up the mantle of whatever craft or discipline their parents pursued. Tsubaki wanted their daughter to be a capable warrior so that she could protect, not only herself, but all of her siblings and the people she would come to care about...With these thoughts in mind, Tsubaki continued to gently stroke Vahn's hair, smiling down at his sleeping with a loving look profoundly reflected in her gaze. It was both exciting and scary to think that this singular boy, peacefully lying in her lap, had the potential of shaping all of their lives. As long as he was a good person, Tsubaki believed all of their children would aspire towards the example he had set. Since everyone in the Manor supported him, the children would likely come to support him as a result of their interactions with everyone else. Though there would certainly be some that were more 'rebellious' than others, Vahn wasn't really someone that people could hate so easily...especially if they are his family...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tiny Weight, Heavy Burden','All over the world, the enemies of Vahn simultaneously felt a chill run down their backs...','Living by Example')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 666: Ripples